Dehydrating Raw Ground Beef, Meat, Chicken in Oven for Canoe Tripping

Dehydrating Ground Beef for Canoe Tripping

In late spring, early summer, typically the last week of June going into the first week of July our Venturers would do a 7-10 day whitewater canoe trip in the Quebec wilderness. With these longer trips, the protein portion of the meals becomes a challenge near the tail end.

We had a few methods including freezing meat such that it would last a few days, tinned tuna and chicken, jerky, and dried sausage. We added to this list, dehydrated ground beef.

Not owning a "proper" dehydrator, we did the work in a normal home oven. It worked like a charm, but I hesitate to think about the electrical consumption, over the several hours it takes. There was also a lot of washing in hot water to get rid of the grease.

Usage was straight forward with hot water. Though when the kids drop the dehydrated crumbs on the soil, it is a definitely challenge to pick them out from the dirt!

We would typically use this in a Dutch Oven based Shepherd's Pie. Yummy!

We never tried lentils, which are a common protein staple longer canoe trips.They never really struck my fancy.

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Personally, I dehydrate a lot of sauce and protein meals (1.5 servings per person) to be served over instant rice, bulgar, or couscous with a normal dehydrator. Since it’s mostly my son and I, I tend to use a lot of Indian takeaway (lamb vindaloo, etc)...

Another way to dehydrate is to get a 2’ box fan and create layers (4-5) of cheap furnace filters. Between each furnace filter put the food to dehydrate. Run the fan for 8 hours, flip the stack of filters, and run another 8 hours.

Should be cheaper to do, and doesn’t use heat to dehydrate the food.

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One time while on a canoe trip in northern Saskatchewan we did a whole roast chicken dinner at the tail end of the trip. A leader roasted a chicken the week before, stripped the meat off, and dehydrated it. The morning of the meal we put the freezer bag with hot water on the top of the canoe to rehydrate throughout the day in the sun, then made instant mashed potatoes, stove top stuffing, canned peas and corn. It was an amazing meal to have so late into the trip!

My friend did something similar for her Christmas Winter Camp but dehydrated turkey, with stove top, instant mash, swiss chalet sauce, dehydrated cranberries and cashews with frozen veg...all in one pot. As one of the Scout's said, "good thing it's dark...this is delicious but she has a feeling it looks like barf"

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We use a lit of dehydrated ground beef or pork in our hone made freezer bag meals, simply add hot water and keep in a cozy for 10 mins you've got a great meal

Uses less gas as you only boil water, no extended cook times, dont need to carry cook sets as you eat from the bag, and best of all no washing up so better for leave no trace.

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Have done it hundreds of time. Try ground chicken or Turkey. Booling first before drying will remove most of the fat. All rehydrate well. Turn a bottle of pasta sauce into leather, add water rehydrated beef , pasta and you have a A dinner fit to feed a lot of really hungry people, with little weight to carry in or garbage to carry out. A dinner ham cut into small cubes will not rehydrate as well but retains its flavour.